Mike Myers

Career Early career Myers began performing in commercials at 8 years old. At the age of 10, he made a commercial for British Columbia Hydro, with Gilda Radner playing his mother. In 1988, he moved from the Second City in Toronto to Chicago. There, he trained, performed and taught at the Improv Olympic.

Myers made many appearances, including as Wayne Campbell, on Toronto's Citytv in the early 1980s, on the alternative video show City Limits hosted by Christopher Ward; Myers also made several appearances after the launch of MuchMusic, for which City Limits was essentially the prototype. Myers also appeared as Wayne Campbell in the music video for Ward's Canadian hit "Boys and Girls".

The Wayne Campbell character was featured extensively in the 1986 summer series It's Only Rock & Roll, produced by Toronto's Insight Production Company for CBC Television. Wayne appeared both in-studio and in a series of location sketches directed and edited by Allan Novak. Myers wrote another sketch, "Kurt and Dieter", co-starring with Second City's Dana Andersen and also directed by Novak, which later became the popular "Sprockets" sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live Myers began appearing on Saturday Night Live on January 21, 1989, and eventually became the first repertory player added to the show's cast in over two years. "He quickly became one of the show's biggest draws thanks to his talent for creating oddball characters with memorable catchphrases", according to Entertainment Weekly. In addition to "Wayne's World" and "Sprockets", Myers starred in the recurring sketches "Lothar of the Hill People", "Stuart Rankin, All Things Scottish", "Lank Thompson", "Middle-Aged Man", "Simon", "Coffee Talk with Linda Richman", "Theatre Stories", "Phillip the Hyper Hypo", and "Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly". Myers's last episode as a cast member aired on January 21, 1995, exactly six years to the day after his first episode. He returned to host in 1997 and made an appearance as his film character Dr. Evil in 2014. In March of 2025, Myers made two guest appearances in sketches, portraying Elon Musk.

Saturday Night Live characters Dieter – host of Sprockets Linda Richman – hostess of Coffee Talk Japanese Game Show Host "Handsome Actor" Lank Thompson Simon – a young British boy who makes drawings in his bath tub and complains about having "prune hands" (the theme song for this segment was a slightly modified version of the theme song from Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings by Edward MacLachlan) Wayne Campbell (SNL, the Wayne's World films) Pat Arnold (SNL, Bill Swerski's Superfans) Stuart Rankin – proprietor of "All Things Scottish" Lothar (of the Hill People) Ed Miles (Middle-Aged Man) – An older man who helps young people with their problems Kenneth Reese-Evans – host of "Theatre Stories" Johnny Letter – an Old West citizen who writes polite, well-written letters of complaint.

Film

Myers made his film debut when he and Dana Carvey adapted their "Wayne's World" SNL sketches into the feature Wayne's World (1992). It was among the most successful films of the year and was followed in 1993 by Wayne's World 2; Myers starred in So I Married an Axe Murderer the same year.

He took a two-year hiatus from performing after the end of his time as an SNL regular. Myers returned to acting with the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), followed by the sequels Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). Myers played the title role (Austin Powers) and the villain (Dr. Evil) in all three films as well as a henchman (Fat Bastard) and another villain (Goldmember) in the sequels.

One of Myers's rare non-comedic roles came in the film 54 (1998), in which he portrayed Steve Rubell, proprietor of New York City's famous 1970s disco nightclub Studio 54. The film was not critically or commercially successful, though Myers received some positive notice.

In June 2000, Myers was sued by Universal Pictures for $3.8 million for backing out of a contract to make a feature film based on his SNL character Dieter. Myers said he refused to honor the $20 million contract because he felt the script was not ready. Myers countersued and a settlement was reached after several months where Myers agreed to make another film with Universal. That film, The Cat in the Hat, was released in November 2003 and starred Myers as the title character. It received negative reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office.

In 2001, Myers provided the voice of Shrek in the animated film of the same name, having taken over the role after Chris Farley died in December 1997 before recording all of his dialogue. He reprised this role in Shrek 4-D (a theme park ride) in 2003, Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), the Christmas and Halloween television specials Shrek the Halls (2007) and Scared Shrekless (2010), and Shrek Forever After (2010).

Myers received the MTV Generation Award in June 2007, making him the second Canadian to win the award, following Jim Carrey in 2006.

In 2008, Myers co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the poorly received The Love Guru, and in 2009 had a minor role as British general Ed Fenech in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

In 2018, after an eight-year hiatus from feature films, Myers appeared in supporting roles in Terminal and Bohemian Rhapsody (both 2018).

As of May 2022, Myers would neither confirm nor deny plans for Austin Powers 4. In July 2024, Myers was announced to reprise the voice of the title character in Shrek 5, scheduled for release on June 30, 2027.

Other work Myers had a cameo appearance in Britney Spears' music video "Boys" as Austin Powers. Spears, in turn, made a cameo in Austin Powers in Goldmember, performing "Boys". In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

Myers is a member of the band Ming Tea along with The Bangles' guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs and musician Matthew Sweet. They performed the songs "BBC" and "Daddy Wasn't There" from the Austin Powers films. In 2011, Myers returned to The Comedy Store in London to perform a one-night-only comeback of his role with The Comedy Store Players. The UK comedy website Chortle praised his performance.

Myers's 2013 directorial debut, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, was selected to be screened in the Gala Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

From 2017 to 2018, Myers hosted a re-boot of The Gong Show in heavy makeup as a fictional British host known as Tommy Maitland, though his identity was not confirmed until the second season.

An avid follower of Monty Python, in July 2014 Myers appeared on stage at the O2 Arena on the final night of their live show, Monty Python Live (Mostly), and also appears on the documentary telefilm Monty Python: The Meaning of Live.

Myers starred in and executive produced a limited series for Netflix called The Pentaverate, which served as a spin-off of So I Married an Axe Murderer and involved him playing multiple characters.

In March 2022, author and security specialist Gavin de Becker shared that segments of The Gift of Fear Master Class had been directed by Myers.

Personal life Family

Myers began dating actress and comedy writer Robin Ruzan in the late 1980s after meeting at an ice hockey game in Chicago, during which Myers caught a puck and used the incident as an icebreaker to strike up a conversation with Ruzan. The couple were married from 1993 to 2005.

In 2006, Kelly Tisdale confirmed reports that she and Myers were dating. Myers and Tisdale married in New York City in a private ceremony in late 2010. Tisdale is a scenic artist who works in the entertainment industry and a former cafe owner. They have a son and two daughters. They reside in the Tribeca neighbourhood of New York City.

Interests Myers is a Dungeons & Dragons player and was one of several celebrities to have participated in the Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day in 2006. He supports the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team, and named two characters in the first Austin Powers film Commander Gilmour and General Borschevsky, after former-Maple Leafs players Doug Gilmour and Nikolai Borschevsky. He is also a fan of his parents' hometown football team Liverpool.

Myers has played for Hollywood United, a celebrity soccer team. He played in the 2010 Soccer Aid for UNICEF UK football match, England vs. R.O.W (Rest of the World) and scored his penalty during a sudden-death shootout after the game ended 2–2 (June 6, 2010). The Rest of the World team beat England for the first time since the tournament started. In June 2018, during a guest appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Myers stated that Britain is a "rooting interest" for him during soccer games in part because of his parents and because he is also a citizen of the country.

In 2014, Myers starred in a commercial with his brother Peter for Sears Canada, using "humorous banter to spread the message that, despite rumours, Sears wasn't shutting down". Peter at the time was senior director of planning at Sears' head office in Toronto, and he was laid off in 2017 after Sears Canada filed for bankruptcy. In 2005, Myers was unwittingly drawn into political controversy when he appeared with co-presenter Kanye West at the Hurricane Katrina televised relief fund-raiser. Before a visibly stunned Myers, West went off-script and - among other things - proclaimed that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." The moment has become an oft-quoted internet meme. Myers later reimagined the situation on a 2025 episode of SNL:50 with Kenan Thompson playing Kanye.

In the Last Week Tonight episode on the 2015 Canadian federal election, Myers appeared on a snowplow in a mounties uniform, telling Canadians not to vote for Stephen Harper.

During the 2025 trade war between Canada and the United States, which was marked by US President Donald Trump's calls for the annexation of Canada as America's 51st state, Myers appeared on Saturday Night Live on March 1 and attracted attention for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "Canada is not for sale". In a subsequent appearance on March 8, he made an "elbows up" gesture, a hockey-related phrase that had been used to express willingness to confront Trump. Myers was credited with amplifying "elbows up" as part of Canadian nationalist sentiment. He then appeared in a campaign ad for the Liberal Party of Canada alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney in advance of the 2025 federal election.

Filmography Film Year Title Credited as Role Notes Actor Writer Producer 1992 Wayne's World Wayne Campbell 1993 So I Married an Axe Murderer (uncredited) Charlie McKenzie / Stuart McKenzie Extensively rewrote the script with Neil Mullarkey Wayne's World 2 Wayne Campbell 1997 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Austin Powers / Dr. Evil 1998 54 Steve Rubell Tim Broderick Pete's Meteor Pete 1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard Mystery, Alaska Donnie Shulzhoffer 2001 Shrek Shrek / Blind Mouse / Opening Narration Voice 2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember Austin Powers / Dr. Evil / Fat Bastard / Goldmember 2003 Nobody Knows Anything! 'Eye' Witness View from the Top John Witney (uncredited) The Cat in the Hat / Mr Catwrench / the guy in the sweater who asks all the obvious questions / Kupkake-inator Inventor / Zumzizeroo Man 2004 Shrek 2 Shrek Voice 2006 Home Himself Documentary 2007 Shrek the Third Shrek Voice 2008 Guru Maurice Pitka / Himself 2009 Inglourious Basterds General Ed Fenech 2010 Shrek Forever After ShrekVoice 2012 Oscar Etiquette Sir Cecil Worthington Short film 2013 Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon Himself Documentary, also director 2015 Being Canadian Documentary I Am Chris Farley 2017 Last Knight Vodyanoy Voice 2018 Terminal Janitor / Night Superintendent / Supe / Clinton Sharp / Mr Franklyn Bohemian Rhapsody Ray Foster 2022 Amsterdam Paul Canterbury 2026 LorneHimselfDocumentary Michael Walter Yetnikoff 2027 Shrek 5 Shrek Voice, In production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1975 King of Kensington Ari Episode: "Scout's Honour" 1977 Range Ryder and the Calgary Kid Himself 1979 The Littlest Hobo Tommy Episode: "Boy on Wheels" 1980 Bizarre Various 1983–1984 City Limits Wayne Campbell Various episodes 1985 John and Yoko: A Love Story Delivery Boy Uncredited; Television film 1986–1987 Wide Awake Club Sound Asleep Club 2 episodes 1987 Meet Julie (voice) Television film It's Only Rock & Roll Various 13 episodes 110 Lombard Street Mike Television pilot 1989 Elvis Stories Cockney Man Television short 1989–1995, 1997,2003, 2005, 2011,2014, 2015,2025–2026 Saturday Night Live Various 123 episodes; also writer 1991 Saturday Night Live: Halloween Special Wayne Campbell Television special 1992 64th Academy Awards Saturday Night Live: All the Best for Mother's Day Himself 1997 1997 MTV Movie Awards Himself (host) 2007 Shrek the Halls Shrek Voice; Television special 2008 2008 MTV Movie Awards Himself (host) Television special Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers Himself 2010 Scared Shrekless Shrek Voice; Television special 2014 Monty Python Live (Mostly) Himself Television special 2015 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Himself Episode: "Canada" Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Wayne Campbell Television special 2017–2018 The Gong Show Tommy Maitland (host) 20 episodes; also executive producer 2018 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Dr. Evil 2 episodes 2022 The Pentaverate Various roles 6 episodes; also creator, writer, and executive producer 2025 Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special Linda Richman Television special

Theme parks

Music videos Madonna: "Beautiful Stranger" (1999) as Austin Powers Britney Spears: "Boys" (2002) as Austin Powers Smash Mouth: "Hang On" (2003)

Awards and honours

Honours

In 2002, Mike Myers was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7042 Hollywood Boulevard. Also in 2002, Myers was honoured in his native Scarborough, Toronto with a street named after him, "Mike Myers Drive". In 2003, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2014, his face was put on a stamp by Canada Post. In 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "his extensive and acclaimed body of comedic work as an actor, writer and producer". In 2026, Myers received the Academy Icon Award at the 14th Canadian Screen Awards.